Zimbabwe's return to Test cricket is at least "six months to two years or more" away, according to an International Cricket Council task force.

Zimbabwe withdrew from Tests in January 2006 because of poor performances.

And their re-inclusion depends on the findings of the delegation, led by West Indies Board president Julian Hunte.

An ICC statement said: "Pending the final report, the board was told none of the stakeholders were of the view Zimbabwe was ready to return."

The statement, resulting from Hunte's interim report, added: "The timeframes proposed range from six months to two years or more."

Hunte's final report will be delivered at the ICC's (International Cricket Council) next board meeting in April.

Zimbabwe have not played a Test since September 2005, although they have continued to play one-day internationals.

In June 2008, England and South Africa severed their bilateral cricketing ties with Zimbabwe because of the political and economic turmoil within Robert Mugabe's regime.

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There have been calls for a Test championship to replace the FTP, which concludes in 2012, but that has been met with some concern, prompting the ICC to call for further discussion.

"With the BCCI [Board of Control for Cricket in India] and the England and Wales Cricket Board [ECB] expressing reservations about the idea of an enhanced Test championship, the Board agreed further consultation was necessary between ICC management and the ICC Chief Executive's Committee [CEC] with a view to producing an acceptable model," the statement continued.

"It was further agreed this process would be led by ICC general manager of cricket David Richardson, and would take place in the lead-up to and during the next CEC meeting, due to be held in Johannesburg in February."

The ICL's application was also deferred "pending further discussions between representatives of the BCCI, ICL and the ICC".

Several countries have chosen to ban players involved in the ICL - which is run in competition to the officially-recognised Indian Premier League (IPL) - from representing their national teams following lobbying from the BCCI.

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